While American Idol is still going strong, lackluster ratings, compared to previous years, competing music shows, and sweeping changes threaten to unhinge the success of the once unbeatable program. However, while American Idol remains competitive, producers are looking into ways to make it more palatable to a culture that continues to march, with or without American Idol.
Going into its tenth season, American Idol seemed to be in a huge crisis. The big changes that are occurring in American Idol are mostly concerned with the low ratings and the inability to rely on the celebrity that Simon Cowell brought to the table. It seems as if every piece of American Idol is being changed in order to rest the show on the “story of winning or losing.” The changes range from online voting, to an updated set, and even faster music releases in order to keep audiences involved and participating in the show.
In addition, the voting may go through a fundamental change. Up until this point, an unlimited number of votes have been accepted. The producers, including Ken Warwick, are considering a change to the voting system. Limiting the number of Text Message votes, along with internet ballots, in order to have a fairer way of judging the winner.
Fortunately, American Idol,which brings in around 800 million annually, has only lost about three million viewers. This keeps the ratings at an average of 26 million viewers an episode. This is why we can expect American Idol to continue, even when it’s two most popular stars, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell, have left. Additionally, American Idol is able to bring in a larger financial windfall than the competitors because of their strong ratings in prized demographics. This means that American Idol is likely to stick around, even if its numbers continue to fall a little more.
Lastly, one should keep an eye on American Idol for the purposes of Media Convergence. With Reality Television becoming so popular, American Idol built its success on converging both Television and traditional mediums of communications, like the telephone. This continued into the second season with Text Messaging and has brought the internet into the mix as well. By allowing audiences to vote, and view extra online material, American Idol may end up being a driving force behind convergence. How easy would it be to vote if you had an Television with Internet? While American Idol is only beginning to utilize the internet, if it is successful we can be sure that it will be used on other shows, such as X-Factor.
The future of American Idol really depend on if you believe that the aging American Idol viewer will continue to stop watching, which means an older age demographic and fewer viewers, or if you are convinced that the program can bring back the magic that once caught the United States off-guard. Either option seems possible at this point, and many Fox executives believe that it will continue strong. However, it is undeniable that American Idol has had a rich history and will leave its stamp on Television for a long time to come.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Everyone’s a critic: American Idol and American Culture
For such a breakout super-hit, it is strange that the critical community is not more in line with the impact of American idol. During its long run, the critics have disagreed with each other at every step. During the early years, American Idol was singled out for its blatant commercialism. However, as American idol continued, critics said everything about it, including that it was the most influential show in television history and that it was the worst thing to happen to art in a long time. The show has received near universal criticism from the music industry.
Simon Cowell has received his fair share of criticism, but it is no wonder that he was rated Number One on several lists of the most influential people in reality television “not just because he's a singular on-air talent able to captivate an audience in a way that no one has replicated,” but because he has warped the entire culture. After Simon became so popular for being mean, other reality shows instantly brought judges in to mimic his performance. His smart and mean personality caught fire in our culture and allowed mean to be an acceptable personality trait. Furthermore, Simon has been able to bring a sense of gravitas to the table. His reputation of telling-it-how-it-is, and being right, has made the judging an assessment that people trust.
As far as American Idol itself is concerned in general, it has been slammed over and over again for product placement. Furthermore, many artists, Sheryl Crow, attack American idol by saying, "Let’s face it, it undermines art in every way and promotes commercialism, I am sad people love it so." And people like Elton John talk about how the “only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small clubs.” These massive attacks on American Idol stem not only from the product placement, but also from railroading music stars. However, these criticisms are often made prematurely. Many critics do not realize that massive product placement was necessary to get the show started in the first season, since Fox would not take a loss on a summer series. Furthermore, many critics have voiced their support for the fast track musician selection. They contend that it allows musicians to bypass the music industry altogether, which often holds all the cards against new artists. Furthermore, they skip a lot of the production arm twisting that occurs throughout the process of producing a CD, auto-tune being one of the most infamous.
As far as the television industry is concerned, American idol is considered not only a massive bully, but also the most influential show on television. It has warped the season and forced each network to schedule their shows on days that do not compete with American Idol. Even Dancing With the Stars, a massive hit, was not willing to be placed in the same time slot as American Idol. Television executives have admitted that “Really, it doesn’t feel like a TV show sometimes. It’s like the Super Bowl” when it comes to scheduling against American Idol. Furthermore, American Idol has won Fox the most viewed television network. The massive numbers of people who gathered twice a week to view American Idol helped shows that came before and after the program, while delivering gigantic numbers for the season finale. This show has transformed the television landscape by providing a format that is intensely popular to the point where it greatly influences the decisions of each other network.
When looking at the other impacts that American idol has had on American Culture, it may surprise many to see what the show has actually accomplished. American Idol stars, even if they do not win, often have great success on Broadway. Their ability to revitalize the atrophied medium has given people a reason to hope that maybe Broadway is not ready to go right now. Furthermore, American Idol has had a gigantic impact on both record sales and the radio industry. Nielson has found that “A performance of a song on American Idol has a positive sales impact on the original for eight weeks,” “American Idol contestants have sold 42 million albums over the past 6+ years,” “and that “in 2009, they made up 1.5 percent of album sales.” This has provided the record industry with a much needed boost. As for the Radio industry, "American Idol has become a dominant force in radio” with over six million spins.
This assessment does not analyze the major spinoffs, such as Dancing With the Stars, or the massive impact that the show had on Text Messaging, that have gone on to make waves in the United States culture. However, even looking at a few of these industries, it becomes apparent that American idol has had a massive effect on everything from the way we view judges, to the way Radio and Music industries are run. The effects and criticism has changed over time, but no one can contest that American Idol has won itself a space at the top of the cultural hierarchy.
Simon Cowell has received his fair share of criticism, but it is no wonder that he was rated Number One on several lists of the most influential people in reality television “not just because he's a singular on-air talent able to captivate an audience in a way that no one has replicated,” but because he has warped the entire culture. After Simon became so popular for being mean, other reality shows instantly brought judges in to mimic his performance. His smart and mean personality caught fire in our culture and allowed mean to be an acceptable personality trait. Furthermore, Simon has been able to bring a sense of gravitas to the table. His reputation of telling-it-how-it-is, and being right, has made the judging an assessment that people trust.
As far as American Idol itself is concerned in general, it has been slammed over and over again for product placement. Furthermore, many artists, Sheryl Crow, attack American idol by saying, "Let’s face it, it undermines art in every way and promotes commercialism, I am sad people love it so." And people like Elton John talk about how the “only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small clubs.” These massive attacks on American Idol stem not only from the product placement, but also from railroading music stars. However, these criticisms are often made prematurely. Many critics do not realize that massive product placement was necessary to get the show started in the first season, since Fox would not take a loss on a summer series. Furthermore, many critics have voiced their support for the fast track musician selection. They contend that it allows musicians to bypass the music industry altogether, which often holds all the cards against new artists. Furthermore, they skip a lot of the production arm twisting that occurs throughout the process of producing a CD, auto-tune being one of the most infamous.
As far as the television industry is concerned, American idol is considered not only a massive bully, but also the most influential show on television. It has warped the season and forced each network to schedule their shows on days that do not compete with American Idol. Even Dancing With the Stars, a massive hit, was not willing to be placed in the same time slot as American Idol. Television executives have admitted that “Really, it doesn’t feel like a TV show sometimes. It’s like the Super Bowl” when it comes to scheduling against American Idol. Furthermore, American Idol has won Fox the most viewed television network. The massive numbers of people who gathered twice a week to view American Idol helped shows that came before and after the program, while delivering gigantic numbers for the season finale. This show has transformed the television landscape by providing a format that is intensely popular to the point where it greatly influences the decisions of each other network.
When looking at the other impacts that American idol has had on American Culture, it may surprise many to see what the show has actually accomplished. American Idol stars, even if they do not win, often have great success on Broadway. Their ability to revitalize the atrophied medium has given people a reason to hope that maybe Broadway is not ready to go right now. Furthermore, American Idol has had a gigantic impact on both record sales and the radio industry. Nielson has found that “A performance of a song on American Idol has a positive sales impact on the original for eight weeks,” “American Idol contestants have sold 42 million albums over the past 6+ years,” “and that “in 2009, they made up 1.5 percent of album sales.” This has provided the record industry with a much needed boost. As for the Radio industry, "American Idol has become a dominant force in radio” with over six million spins.
This assessment does not analyze the major spinoffs, such as Dancing With the Stars, or the massive impact that the show had on Text Messaging, that have gone on to make waves in the United States culture. However, even looking at a few of these industries, it becomes apparent that American idol has had a massive effect on everything from the way we view judges, to the way Radio and Music industries are run. The effects and criticism has changed over time, but no one can contest that American Idol has won itself a space at the top of the cultural hierarchy.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Part 2/4, A New Dream: The Success of American Idol
The success of American idol has always rested on two major vehicles that never fail to bring in audiences. The first is the emphasis on the audience. Each viewer is able, and encouraged, to view the singer as a regular person, someone much like themselves. The idea that one day you could be flipping burgers and 15 weeks later you might be a national celebrity with a one million dollar contract was, to say the least, enticing. Additionally, the fact that voters, in theory, could control the outcome of the show placed both urgency and an opportunity for viewers to get excited about the show. People’s interest stayed strong so they could see who is next and if their singer made the cut. These two modes of audience participation encouraged people to stay tuned and gather friends in order to influence change.
Casting Call
The casting call for American Idol gives great insight into the nature of American idol and why it was such a runaway success. The emphasis on “you” during the audition notice is a convincing sell for those who desire to be “megastars.” Furthermore, that was the point from the beginning. Producers wanted to repackage the American dream into a show that promised fame and stardom. The American Dream, since James Truslow Adams, has been popularized as the ability to become rich and successful through hard work and ability. However, American Idol tapped into this idea and encouraged people to believe that “you” (who, me?) could become rich and famous if you had the ability and were willing to put in the hard work. However, the key difference with American Idol is that is a fast track, one that allowed the audience to observe the fulfillment of the dream within a few short months.
This had an intense impact on the ethos of the show, which was encouraged by the producers. In fact, one of the producers, Ken Warwick, said that:
"There's no secret," he says. "In America, everyone wants to be famous. That's what it's all about. That's the Golden Fleece. They all want to walk into a restaurant and be recognized. It's a religion here - not a very healthy one, perhaps - but there nonetheless. The prize we offer isn't a record deal, its stardom. That's the whole ethos of the show. You can be flipping burgers one minute and then, three months later, you are a huge star in America. We offer a fast track, short route to stardom, and that is very, very appealing to many people." Or, as Lythgoe puts it, "We've repackaged the American dream and brought it back to this country."
This desire to sell the American Dream back to Americans allowed each person to connect with the struggle of each participant and get caught up in all of the excitement. When a favored contestant advanced, the audience was able to literally see the American dream being played out in front of them. This nearly created a moral imperative for people to stay involved and see if their candidate won, in order to see justice done to the American dream.
Premier Commercial
This is one of the first commercials for American Idol. It contains the same formula that is discussed above, the idea that “you” decide who wins. With this commercial, the show is trying to play up the audience participation in the show. Your ability to decide who ultimately wins is enough to produce legions of eager fans. This is important not only for ratings but also, as with Pop Idol, to manufacture a fan base for the artist once they create an album. The guarantee of a successful album is an important part of the promise of fame that American Idol offers. The voting base is able to see how the singer becomes famous and pushes that person in the right direction. This is reinforced by the thing that separates American Idol from most voting show, its unbridled voting system. Where Dancing with The Stars mixes judging and votes to produce a winner and Star Search had only audience voting, American Idol allows for complete audience control, from the comfort of your house.
In fact people take the voting portion of American idol so seriously that they have begun to vote in massive blocks. With only a few hours to vote, many people are sending thousands of text messages, creating software to send votes, and casting call-in votes using multiple phones. The logic may be that American Idol allows multiple votes, and so you are allowed to cast them. If a fan likes Carrie Underwood enough to send 10,000 text messages over the course of four hours, then why should that not count in favor of the artist who inspired such fervent zeal?
While American Idol assures the public that the block votes are not statistically significant, an individual may feel as if they are having a great impact on the show when they cast so many votes, especially when a singer’s distance from the chopping block has been as little as 30,000. Regardless of if block voters do affect the outcome; many block voters believe that they have an enormous influence on the process. This feeds back into the story that American idol has told since its inception, that anyone can be famous, that this show is about “you.” This lends itself to a new phenomenon, where fewer people watch American idol, but the number of votes cast per episode has spiked tremendously.
The success of American idol really springs from two pillars of development. The first is its voting system, which centers the show on the individual at home, and the second is its appeal to the new American dream. The idea that anyone can become famous and rich because of their hard work, the American Dream, is shamelessly exploited on American Idol. It is seen in the casting call that encourages individuals to show up in order to tryout to become the next superstar, in the form, where superstardom can be reached within weeks, and in the central role that the audience plays. “You” are the center of the show.
Casting Call
The casting call for American Idol gives great insight into the nature of American idol and why it was such a runaway success. The emphasis on “you” during the audition notice is a convincing sell for those who desire to be “megastars.” Furthermore, that was the point from the beginning. Producers wanted to repackage the American dream into a show that promised fame and stardom. The American Dream, since James Truslow Adams, has been popularized as the ability to become rich and successful through hard work and ability. However, American Idol tapped into this idea and encouraged people to believe that “you” (who, me?) could become rich and famous if you had the ability and were willing to put in the hard work. However, the key difference with American Idol is that is a fast track, one that allowed the audience to observe the fulfillment of the dream within a few short months.
This had an intense impact on the ethos of the show, which was encouraged by the producers. In fact, one of the producers, Ken Warwick, said that:
"There's no secret," he says. "In America, everyone wants to be famous. That's what it's all about. That's the Golden Fleece. They all want to walk into a restaurant and be recognized. It's a religion here - not a very healthy one, perhaps - but there nonetheless. The prize we offer isn't a record deal, its stardom. That's the whole ethos of the show. You can be flipping burgers one minute and then, three months later, you are a huge star in America. We offer a fast track, short route to stardom, and that is very, very appealing to many people." Or, as Lythgoe puts it, "We've repackaged the American dream and brought it back to this country."
This desire to sell the American Dream back to Americans allowed each person to connect with the struggle of each participant and get caught up in all of the excitement. When a favored contestant advanced, the audience was able to literally see the American dream being played out in front of them. This nearly created a moral imperative for people to stay involved and see if their candidate won, in order to see justice done to the American dream.
Premier Commercial
This is one of the first commercials for American Idol. It contains the same formula that is discussed above, the idea that “you” decide who wins. With this commercial, the show is trying to play up the audience participation in the show. Your ability to decide who ultimately wins is enough to produce legions of eager fans. This is important not only for ratings but also, as with Pop Idol, to manufacture a fan base for the artist once they create an album. The guarantee of a successful album is an important part of the promise of fame that American Idol offers. The voting base is able to see how the singer becomes famous and pushes that person in the right direction. This is reinforced by the thing that separates American Idol from most voting show, its unbridled voting system. Where Dancing with The Stars mixes judging and votes to produce a winner and Star Search had only audience voting, American Idol allows for complete audience control, from the comfort of your house.
In fact people take the voting portion of American idol so seriously that they have begun to vote in massive blocks. With only a few hours to vote, many people are sending thousands of text messages, creating software to send votes, and casting call-in votes using multiple phones. The logic may be that American Idol allows multiple votes, and so you are allowed to cast them. If a fan likes Carrie Underwood enough to send 10,000 text messages over the course of four hours, then why should that not count in favor of the artist who inspired such fervent zeal?
While American Idol assures the public that the block votes are not statistically significant, an individual may feel as if they are having a great impact on the show when they cast so many votes, especially when a singer’s distance from the chopping block has been as little as 30,000. Regardless of if block voters do affect the outcome; many block voters believe that they have an enormous influence on the process. This feeds back into the story that American idol has told since its inception, that anyone can be famous, that this show is about “you.” This lends itself to a new phenomenon, where fewer people watch American idol, but the number of votes cast per episode has spiked tremendously.
The success of American idol really springs from two pillars of development. The first is its voting system, which centers the show on the individual at home, and the second is its appeal to the new American dream. The idea that anyone can become famous and rich because of their hard work, the American Dream, is shamelessly exploited on American Idol. It is seen in the casting call that encourages individuals to show up in order to tryout to become the next superstar, in the form, where superstardom can be reached within weeks, and in the central role that the audience plays. “You” are the center of the show.
Part One: American Idol Production: How the Media Giant got Its Start
The mega-hit American Idol, which became one of televisions greatest shows, began with a British hit that migrated to American. The producers were trying to market both fame and music in order to repackage the American Dream and make people feel as if anyone could be a star. This format met with harsh resistance in American production circles because executives believed that it was just another music show. However, with a little luck, Pop Idol made a successful migration to American homes and became a success due to the cheap costs of production, favorable position, and its pulse on the American Dream.
In order to tell the story of American Idol, it is necessary to start way back in Australia with Popstars. This successful show centered on auditioning and creating a band. This format made huge waves in Britain and caught the attention of Fuller and 19 Entertainment. Popstars was followed the formation of an all girl band that was to be named TrueBliss. Unfortunately, the biggest flaw that the show had was that once the audition process was over, audiences became bored with the show. This was occurring beside the Eurovision Song Contest, which utilized audience participation via a telephone vote.
Pop Idol would improve on Popstars by being harsher and allowing the audience vote that had been such a hit with the Eurovision Song Contest. The idea was to move away from the success of the actual music and rely more on the drama to carry the show. This way, even if a particular song flopped, the immanent elimination and the harsh criticism would certainly carry the show. In order to utilize continuous audience participation, not to mention drama, Pop Idol ran 15 weeks long and only kept the audition portion of Popstars.
The audience vote was viewed as an integral part of the show. The ability to have even limited control over the winner not only drew people in to cast their ballots, but energized people into pulling both friends and family into the show. Furthermore, audience voting gave everyone something to talk about at the office, and encouraged people to have a greater buy-in with the show. The grand prize was also alluring. The idea that a contestant’s life might get turned around based on the audience’s actions made the prize that much greater. This format had monumental success due to the growth of ratings throughout the season. The show was hailed as a success with ten million viewers in Britain.
This is the format that was sold to American executives. Unfortunately, American Idol was passed up by ABC and other networks. At the time, this was a curious occurrence since each network was trying to snap up reality television shows in order to emulate the success of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Survivor. However, the massive success of Pop Idol was seen as a provincial and British. This sentiment was reinforced by the failure of both Making the Band and Pop Stars. Network executives diagnosed these failures as an inherent product of the fractured American music taste. Since music taste was particular for each demographic, any music show was seen as an impossible sell to a larger audience. While Fox agreed to accept the show, they would only air it on the condition that it was prepaid for with advertising revenue. While gathering this revenue proved difficult with a tenuous concept, American Idol producers got a break. Fortunately, the show was bought because of the low cost of production and the fact that Rupert Murdoch had a daughter who was managing a British portion of Newscorp, and happened to love Pop Idol. After a persuasive phone call, where she explained how this show had become a phenomenon, Fox agreed to purchase the show and increase the summer series from 8 to 15 weeks. Upon watching more tapes, the producers then demanded that Simon Cowell perform as a judge in America, emulating the corrosive image that he produced on Pop Idol.
The entrance of Simon Cowell into American Idol is perhaps one of the most influential directions the show ever went in. while Cowell was the star judge of Pop Idol, he was in it mainly to sign the next big singer, and his reputation as a great music producer had no context in America before American Idol. Nevertheless, the producers recognized the energy that he brought to the audience with his criticism and wanted that same reaction. Cowell himself was concerned that he would be censored and that America was too politically correct for his frank assessments. Luckily, the producers gave him space to maneuver. In addition to providing experience to the American Idol Judges, he also brought a sense of gravitas to the table. Since he was the only non-musician of the three judges, and a successful music producer, he was able to justify his intense comments. This not only produced a counterweight to the other judges, but also allowed for audiences to enjoy a thorough dressing down of amateur contestants which became a highlight of the American Idol Experience.
In order to tell the story of American Idol, it is necessary to start way back in Australia with Popstars. This successful show centered on auditioning and creating a band. This format made huge waves in Britain and caught the attention of Fuller and 19 Entertainment. Popstars was followed the formation of an all girl band that was to be named TrueBliss. Unfortunately, the biggest flaw that the show had was that once the audition process was over, audiences became bored with the show. This was occurring beside the Eurovision Song Contest, which utilized audience participation via a telephone vote.
Pop Idol would improve on Popstars by being harsher and allowing the audience vote that had been such a hit with the Eurovision Song Contest. The idea was to move away from the success of the actual music and rely more on the drama to carry the show. This way, even if a particular song flopped, the immanent elimination and the harsh criticism would certainly carry the show. In order to utilize continuous audience participation, not to mention drama, Pop Idol ran 15 weeks long and only kept the audition portion of Popstars.
The audience vote was viewed as an integral part of the show. The ability to have even limited control over the winner not only drew people in to cast their ballots, but energized people into pulling both friends and family into the show. Furthermore, audience voting gave everyone something to talk about at the office, and encouraged people to have a greater buy-in with the show. The grand prize was also alluring. The idea that a contestant’s life might get turned around based on the audience’s actions made the prize that much greater. This format had monumental success due to the growth of ratings throughout the season. The show was hailed as a success with ten million viewers in Britain.
This is the format that was sold to American executives. Unfortunately, American Idol was passed up by ABC and other networks. At the time, this was a curious occurrence since each network was trying to snap up reality television shows in order to emulate the success of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Survivor. However, the massive success of Pop Idol was seen as a provincial and British. This sentiment was reinforced by the failure of both Making the Band and Pop Stars. Network executives diagnosed these failures as an inherent product of the fractured American music taste. Since music taste was particular for each demographic, any music show was seen as an impossible sell to a larger audience. While Fox agreed to accept the show, they would only air it on the condition that it was prepaid for with advertising revenue. While gathering this revenue proved difficult with a tenuous concept, American Idol producers got a break. Fortunately, the show was bought because of the low cost of production and the fact that Rupert Murdoch had a daughter who was managing a British portion of Newscorp, and happened to love Pop Idol. After a persuasive phone call, where she explained how this show had become a phenomenon, Fox agreed to purchase the show and increase the summer series from 8 to 15 weeks. Upon watching more tapes, the producers then demanded that Simon Cowell perform as a judge in America, emulating the corrosive image that he produced on Pop Idol.
The entrance of Simon Cowell into American Idol is perhaps one of the most influential directions the show ever went in. while Cowell was the star judge of Pop Idol, he was in it mainly to sign the next big singer, and his reputation as a great music producer had no context in America before American Idol. Nevertheless, the producers recognized the energy that he brought to the audience with his criticism and wanted that same reaction. Cowell himself was concerned that he would be censored and that America was too politically correct for his frank assessments. Luckily, the producers gave him space to maneuver. In addition to providing experience to the American Idol Judges, he also brought a sense of gravitas to the table. Since he was the only non-musician of the three judges, and a successful music producer, he was able to justify his intense comments. This not only produced a counterweight to the other judges, but also allowed for audiences to enjoy a thorough dressing down of amateur contestants which became a highlight of the American Idol Experience.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A Tenuous Performance: The Roll of The Camera, Props, and Music in Glee
The Pilot episode of Glee uses camera cuts and scene sequencing in order to create and highlight the differences between each character. This serves to emphasize their depiction of high school as a war zone where different groups vie for popularity against one another. However, these boundaries are continuously undermined with the use of props and music, which serve to bring the characters together on an emotional level. The songs also define the individual characters; bring them together in a physical space, and giving each one a common interest with which they can begin to connect. The dueling tensions that run through the episode focus on the characters’ lives and the impediments to forming a Glee Club. The overarching argument within this episode is that the real and important boundaries, as well as social identities, that segregate high school kids can be overcome by a common passion for singing; which the text accomplishes by reinforcing a series of dualities with the screen cuts, while subverting these clear demarcations with the use of select props and songs.
The pilot episode was chosen for this analysis because of the production factors that went into it. This episode was on air long before the season began, and it was pushed heavily on the internet. This episode was meant to draw people in and give them a strong forecast for the rest of the season. For this reason, the themes that run throughout the season are concentrated in this episode, which makes it a perfect candidate for this analysis.
The dualities in this episode are pushed heavily by the cuts between scenes that the camera makes, along with the sequencing of scenes. By presenting one situation and immediately displaying its antithesis, the camera not only creates the potential for tensions, but also invites the audience to imagine how a situation may have otherwise been handled. This editing practice begins with the opening scene where the camera shows us cheerleaders who are floating through the air with giant grins on their faces, only to quickly switch to the misery that the soon-to-be glee members are facing. This tactic is used throughout the episode, but is best utilized during the first performance that the audience sees from the Glee Club. This mediocre performance is met with optimism and determination from the teacher, Mr. Schuester, only to immediately cut to the cheerleading instructor, couch Sylvester, who berates her pupils for a sloppy performance, and hounds them for showing their agony and tears.
This editing process serves to set each social group outside of the other and allows us to juxtapose the two teachers. It also reinforces a duality between the cheerleaders who belong in the “penthouse” and the members of the Glee Club, who belong in the “subbasement.” The quick cuts between the two educators serve to intensify the differences between the teachers, as well as the differences between the clubs.
The next most important tension that the camera pushes is the difference between home and school for the Mr. Schuester. Home is cut to right before the auditions, after the second rehearsal, and after a large performance. In each case the dramatic change in noise and color make the home life more muted and less exciting. The hard switch from a successful performance of “You’re The One That I Want,” to making a puzzle at home intensifies the difference between the scenes and the alienation that Schuester experiences in his home. This plot is intensified by the financial problems that he has to balance in both spheres. This forces Schuester to make a hard choice between his commitments at home and his passion at school.
This same plot line is carried out with the high school quarterback, Finn Hudson. The constant screen cuts of his personal life, which is always at tension with his present identity, are used to highlight the two tensions that are pulling at him. Hudson’s membership as a football player all but excludes his identity as a singer, while is identity as a Glee Club member brews resentment and divisions in his life as a football player. Like with Schuester, these tensions begin to pull at each other throughout the episode until they coalesce near the end where both characters must choose between Glee Club and their entrenched identities within minutes of each other.
Unsurprisingly, props and musical performance is instrumental in bringing the cast together and overcoming these tensions. During the beginning of the episode, music gives us a detailed snapshot of each character’s personality. This is highlighted by the highly individual outfits that each character wears during their audition, but is never seen in again throughout the episode. This level of individuality informs the audience of the unique characteristics that each person has. As of yet, the boundaries between the characters have not been undermined and we experience them not as a group, but as a series of individuals. As the performances progress, we are able to see how the music brings each character together, and how their outfits reflect a growing solidarity. During the first performance, we see them wearing costumes that look suspiciously like their normal clothes, with the exception of uniform gloves, which stick out garishly. This, as well as their verbal digressions, gives the impression that they have not formed a group, but are still only five individuals who happen to be in close proximity. This is reflected in their outfits, which are referred to as costumes, but serve only to highlight the fact that each character is still an individual and that the only thing that they have in common are the superficial white gloves. However, by the second performance, the white gloves are gone and their normal outfits are replaced with stylish costumes that complement one another. This reflects the greater solidarity that the individuals share and the solidifying of each person’s roles in the Glee Club. Lastly, the final performance has each person wearing a unique cut of matching scarlet. This is meant to reflect the complete harmony between the members, without crushing their individual identities. At this point, the tension between the individuals and the group are resolved, which leads to the formation of the complete Glee Club.
Aside from the editing and props, Glee utilizes many assumptions that allow the episode to begin with set boundaries that become more porous over time. The questionable portrayal depicts high school as a zero sum game where only the popular survive, and only by preying on the weak. Rachel Berry gains revenge by backstabbing her peer, while the football players attack students who do not fit in, including each other. This is reinforced by the teachers who compete over both resources and students. This competition is fierce and leads to some of the main conflicts throughout the episode.
This depiction of high school has little to do with actual high school and more to do with getting the audience to easily identify different clicks and divide people up in order to intensify their differences. This serves to give substantial obstacles that the episode exploits in order to create conflict. Whether it is the overdramatic lead singer, or the football player who is caught between two worlds, the idea that each social group must struggle against the others gives a unique opportunity to Glee Club to create peace in an otherwise chaotic system. This not only shapes the episode, but also allows the audience to view music as a mediating influence that brings people together. In this, Glee Club becomes the one place where each person can be themselves, without fear of retribution.
Furthermore, the tension between the individual characters and Glee Club, which dominate the episode, are forced to resolve when the situation builds to a point where they are forced to pick between their other identities and Glee. With Hudson, this decision comes when he saves a kid from a porta-potty. In the grandiose speech that accompanies this action, he lays down all of his cards. “I can do both” is the sentiment that he gives, and that episode has been driving at for the first 35 minutes. This resolves the tension that exists between each individual identity, as well as the differences between social groups. In this speech Hudson is able to become a part of both groups, which relieves the tension that was forcing him to decide between the two. This is reflected in the parallel plot for Schuester, who decided to stay when he sees the final rehearsal. While his financial tension between home and work are different, and unresolved, the tension between his passion and his financial situation are resolved. However, while many conflicts are resolved within this episode, they are not resolved in the long run. Schuester still has to contest with the cheer leading instructor, and is still unhappily married with money issues. The quarterback seems to pick up both glee club and football, but the question is left open about how this will play out due to the friend that ominously watches his final performance.
This text utilizes traditional assumptions about high school in order to create an environment where the barriers and differences between each person are based on their position within a highly competitive social hierarchy. These barriers are reinforced by the editing which plays a massive role in juxtaposing the characters and highlighting their differences. These differences are constantly competing with each individual’s desire to unite in order to fulfill their passion for music, while the formation of Glee Club hangs in the balance. The boundaries between the characters, however, are being undermined with props and music, both of which depict an increased unity as the show progresses. Eventually, the battle between props and editing is resolved with the formation of a Glee Club that is able to perform as a cohesive unit. These tensions get resolved on an individual level by allowing the characters to bring their separate identities together. The individuals are able to break through the rigid social boundaries, without compromising their passion or social standing, and accept the plurality of their personalities.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Glee: A Money Making Machine
Glee is a postmodern musical that draws in young demographics with high school actors in order to open nontraditional revenue streams. This is able to work so effectively because Glee portrays each member as an underdog that everyone can relate to. Glee is able to do this to a greater degree because the contemporary songs that they sing ring true with viewers who already like and identify with that song. This makes the actors seem more relatable to the viewer and often functions as an advertisement for that song, which will later be sold on ITunes. This strategy has been particularly effective because of a successful marketing campaign and innovative style. The new business model that uses characters and story lines to draw audiences in, only to simultaneously sell them songs and merchandising, has made Glee as profitable as it is popular. Additionally, Glee has such an audience following that it is now used to prop up and anchor other shows around it.
Glee has managed to secure a pretty large target audience, with strong numbers in the 18-49 demographic. This is due to the underdog portrayal of the high school actors. While this format appeals to tweens and teens by giving them situations and characters that they can identify with, it is also able to draw in older viewers by giving them a product that they often feel nostalgic about. Playing on stereotypes instantly draws viewers in by getting them to identify with one of the many main characters. Glee manages to then play up the forces and pressures that make each member, even the star football quarterback, an underdog. This allows Glee to capitalize on the idea that “Every teenager… goes through a time when they are not sure where or if they belong” and extend it to “all ages, because that feeling never really goes away.” However, the show does not stop at creating characters that most people can identify with, but goes further to tap into the same cultural phenomenon that was part of American Idol’s success, “the idea that anyone can be a star, even underdogs.” the show is able to accomplish this by tying misfits, jocks, nerds, and cheerleaders together with songs that everyone knows. However, even though this form of “pure escapism” utilizes “cultural staples to grab a broad audience” it still tends to promote more songs that are listed in the top 40 in order to remain “the No. 1 show in the 18-49 demographic among women.” This tendency functions as more than just a trick that allows the show to stay relevant, but actively allows the audience to “feel like one of the cool kids when they can sing along to Bruno Mars' ‘Just the Way You Are.’” This tendency to play to women between the ages of 18-49 is in order to attract this particularly prized demographic, but also to market the show to entire families. This brings in a large number of viewers per episode, and has given Glee a reputation as a PG viewing experience, despite the fact that “it still has an edge.”
Glee charges "over $270,000 per 30 seconds in the fall and $370,000 in the spring,” which is the 3rd highest price for advertising on television. This is peculiar because they are ranked 33rd in total viewers. However, one should not be too surprised since they are able to draw in one of the most high-quality audiences that a show can have. However, in spite of this gigantic revenue base, the producers are still looking for alternate streams of income. Glee, which has a “cost [of] more than $3 million” per episode, has made up these costs by aggressively selling merchandise. The success of their first season’s advertising campaign to drive viewers to iTunes in order to buy singles, albums, and shows, culminated in “4.2 million downloads of songs featured in its episodes” and “as of December, ‘Glee’ now has 102 songs” that have made it to the Billboard top 100. Additionally, product placement has been huge. An entire episode was devoted to a bright yellow, convertible Corvette which allowed one of the teachers to “break out of his doldrums and try to win back his girlfriend.” The “Camaro and the Cruze” have also made appearances on the show, which is part of a strategy to target the heavy female audience. This use of product placement is only the beginning as producers and executives look for ways to make Glee as profitable as other primetime dramas that often cost up to 50% less. However, with a karaoke machine, a Wiki game, multiple board games, trivia games, and books, Glee is becoming profitable, which is unusual in the early life of a television series, and is becoming “not unlike the kind of revenue juggernaut [that] ‘American Idol’” turned out to be.
This hour long, post modern musical, which has been dubbed a “musical dramedy,” was inspired by what “made ‘Chicago’ such a successful film” and continues to market itself as a genre defying experience that is different from everything “at the networks and cable.” This concept, which had originated as a movie, was picked up by Fox within 15 hours of receiving the script and Glee is now aired by 20th Television and produced by 20th Century Fox Television, but shares the rights with Brad Nalchik Tetley-Vision, and Ryan Murphy Television. Fox originally aired Glee right after American Idol in order to gather a strong lead in with an audience that would be predisposed to musical entertainment. However, since the massive success of Glee, Fox has used it to anchor their “comedy block on Tuesdays” and to prop up new shows like ‘Raising Hope.’ This strategy has paid off immensely, especially because it has allowed them to strengthen weaker slots with American Idol. This has allowed Fox to spread its largest revenue contributors across the week. Glee’s success, many say, is due to the creators, and executive producers of Glee, “Ryan Murphy, Brad Nalchik, and Ian Brennan,” who wanted to build this innovative show from the ground up and started by recruiting actors from Broadway. Matthew Morrison, for example, had already played a role in "Hairspray" and "The Light in the Piazza," while Lea Michele starred in the rock musical "Spring Awakening" and Jenna Ushkowitz had acted in the Broadway revival of "The King and I."
However, the innovative feeling of Glee has not only been helped by its actors, but is also set apart by the marketing strategy that Fox used. In order to get people excited, and to drum up audiences, Fox was “carpet bombing its airwaves with Glee promos” before they started off the first season of Glee. However, even before this television campaign, Fox was working overtime to grab attention for Glee. In order to arouse interest they showed the pilot of Glee on May 19, 2009, months before the first episode would appear. Additionally, cast members showed up at Hot Topic clothing stores to get people excited about the show. Fox also gave out free copies of the show on DVD, and left it online at Hula in order to garner more attention. All of this was combined with an aggressive social media campaign on YouTube, Face book, and twitter. This aggressive marketing strategy worked, bringing in 9,619 million viewers to the first episode. Since then, Glee has been performing well; peaking at over 26 million viewers after the Super bowl and continuing to bring in at least 10 million viewers an episode in the second season.
Glee draws people in by creating stereotypical situations and characters, each with their own flaws that the audience can easily identify with. This identification process allows viewers to become more intimate with the show, especially when the actors begin to sing songs that modern viewers already know and love. Fox originally took a chance on the new musical project, but hedged their bets with innovative marketing strategies and with a huge lead in audience from American Idol. The use of cultural classics and songs that recently premiered on the top 40, drew in the American Idol audience members specifically, and music lovers generally. This target audience was strong in the 18-49 demographic, and particularly strong with women. The strength in these demographics enabled Glee to become the 3rd most expensive show to buy advertisements on. This advertising revenue is supplemented with a steady stream of money made from selling singles on ITunes. This model has been so successful that Glee has now become a tent-pole of its own and anchors the entire comedy lineup on Tuesdays.
Glee has managed to secure a pretty large target audience, with strong numbers in the 18-49 demographic. This is due to the underdog portrayal of the high school actors. While this format appeals to tweens and teens by giving them situations and characters that they can identify with, it is also able to draw in older viewers by giving them a product that they often feel nostalgic about. Playing on stereotypes instantly draws viewers in by getting them to identify with one of the many main characters. Glee manages to then play up the forces and pressures that make each member, even the star football quarterback, an underdog. This allows Glee to capitalize on the idea that “Every teenager… goes through a time when they are not sure where or if they belong” and extend it to “all ages, because that feeling never really goes away.” However, the show does not stop at creating characters that most people can identify with, but goes further to tap into the same cultural phenomenon that was part of American Idol’s success, “the idea that anyone can be a star, even underdogs.” the show is able to accomplish this by tying misfits, jocks, nerds, and cheerleaders together with songs that everyone knows. However, even though this form of “pure escapism” utilizes “cultural staples to grab a broad audience” it still tends to promote more songs that are listed in the top 40 in order to remain “the No. 1 show in the 18-49 demographic among women.” This tendency functions as more than just a trick that allows the show to stay relevant, but actively allows the audience to “feel like one of the cool kids when they can sing along to Bruno Mars' ‘Just the Way You Are.’” This tendency to play to women between the ages of 18-49 is in order to attract this particularly prized demographic, but also to market the show to entire families. This brings in a large number of viewers per episode, and has given Glee a reputation as a PG viewing experience, despite the fact that “it still has an edge.”
Glee charges "over $270,000 per 30 seconds in the fall and $370,000 in the spring,” which is the 3rd highest price for advertising on television. This is peculiar because they are ranked 33rd in total viewers. However, one should not be too surprised since they are able to draw in one of the most high-quality audiences that a show can have. However, in spite of this gigantic revenue base, the producers are still looking for alternate streams of income. Glee, which has a “cost [of] more than $3 million” per episode, has made up these costs by aggressively selling merchandise. The success of their first season’s advertising campaign to drive viewers to iTunes in order to buy singles, albums, and shows, culminated in “4.2 million downloads of songs featured in its episodes” and “as of December, ‘Glee’ now has 102 songs” that have made it to the Billboard top 100. Additionally, product placement has been huge. An entire episode was devoted to a bright yellow, convertible Corvette which allowed one of the teachers to “break out of his doldrums and try to win back his girlfriend.” The “Camaro and the Cruze” have also made appearances on the show, which is part of a strategy to target the heavy female audience. This use of product placement is only the beginning as producers and executives look for ways to make Glee as profitable as other primetime dramas that often cost up to 50% less. However, with a karaoke machine, a Wiki game, multiple board games, trivia games, and books, Glee is becoming profitable, which is unusual in the early life of a television series, and is becoming “not unlike the kind of revenue juggernaut [that] ‘American Idol’” turned out to be.
This hour long, post modern musical, which has been dubbed a “musical dramedy,” was inspired by what “made ‘Chicago’ such a successful film” and continues to market itself as a genre defying experience that is different from everything “at the networks and cable.” This concept, which had originated as a movie, was picked up by Fox within 15 hours of receiving the script and Glee is now aired by 20th Television and produced by 20th Century Fox Television, but shares the rights with Brad Nalchik Tetley-Vision, and Ryan Murphy Television. Fox originally aired Glee right after American Idol in order to gather a strong lead in with an audience that would be predisposed to musical entertainment. However, since the massive success of Glee, Fox has used it to anchor their “comedy block on Tuesdays” and to prop up new shows like ‘Raising Hope.’ This strategy has paid off immensely, especially because it has allowed them to strengthen weaker slots with American Idol. This has allowed Fox to spread its largest revenue contributors across the week. Glee’s success, many say, is due to the creators, and executive producers of Glee, “Ryan Murphy, Brad Nalchik, and Ian Brennan,” who wanted to build this innovative show from the ground up and started by recruiting actors from Broadway. Matthew Morrison, for example, had already played a role in "Hairspray" and "The Light in the Piazza," while Lea Michele starred in the rock musical "Spring Awakening" and Jenna Ushkowitz had acted in the Broadway revival of "The King and I."
However, the innovative feeling of Glee has not only been helped by its actors, but is also set apart by the marketing strategy that Fox used. In order to get people excited, and to drum up audiences, Fox was “carpet bombing its airwaves with Glee promos” before they started off the first season of Glee. However, even before this television campaign, Fox was working overtime to grab attention for Glee. In order to arouse interest they showed the pilot of Glee on May 19, 2009, months before the first episode would appear. Additionally, cast members showed up at Hot Topic clothing stores to get people excited about the show. Fox also gave out free copies of the show on DVD, and left it online at Hula in order to garner more attention. All of this was combined with an aggressive social media campaign on YouTube, Face book, and twitter. This aggressive marketing strategy worked, bringing in 9,619 million viewers to the first episode. Since then, Glee has been performing well; peaking at over 26 million viewers after the Super bowl and continuing to bring in at least 10 million viewers an episode in the second season.
Glee draws people in by creating stereotypical situations and characters, each with their own flaws that the audience can easily identify with. This identification process allows viewers to become more intimate with the show, especially when the actors begin to sing songs that modern viewers already know and love. Fox originally took a chance on the new musical project, but hedged their bets with innovative marketing strategies and with a huge lead in audience from American Idol. The use of cultural classics and songs that recently premiered on the top 40, drew in the American Idol audience members specifically, and music lovers generally. This target audience was strong in the 18-49 demographic, and particularly strong with women. The strength in these demographics enabled Glee to become the 3rd most expensive show to buy advertisements on. This advertising revenue is supplemented with a steady stream of money made from selling singles on ITunes. This model has been so successful that Glee has now become a tent-pole of its own and anchors the entire comedy lineup on Tuesdays.
Project
Glee is a postmodern musical that draws in young demographics with high school actors in order to open nontraditional revenue streams. This is able to work so effectively because Glee portrays each member as an underdog that everyone can relate to. Glee is able to do this to a greater degree because the contemporary songs that they sing ring true with viewers who already like and identify with that song. This makes the actors seem more relatable to the viewer and often functions as an advertisement for that song, which will later be sold on ITunes. This strategy has been particularly effective because of a successful marketing campaign and innovative style. The new business model that uses characters and story lines to draw audiences in, only to simultaneously sell them songs and merchandising, has made Glee as profitable as it is popular. Additionally, Glee has such an audience following that it is now used to prop up and anchor other shows around it.
Glee has managed to secure a pretty large target audience, with strong numbers in the 18-49 demographic. This is due to the underdog portrayal of the high school actors. While this format appeals to tweens and teens by giving them situations and characters that they can identify with, it is also able to draw in older viewers by giving them a product that they often feel nostalgic about. Playing on stereotypes instantly draws viewers in by getting them to identify with one of the many main characters. Glee manages to then play up the forces and pressures that make each member, even the star football quarterback, an underdog. This allows Glee to capitalize on the idea that “Every teenager… goes through a time when they are not sure where or if they belong” and extend it to “all ages, because that feeling never really goes away.” However, the show does not stop at creating characters that most people can identify with, but goes further to tap into the same cultural phenomenon that was part of American Idol’s success, “the idea that anyone can be a star, even underdogs.” the show is able to accomplish this by tying misfits, jocks, nerds, and cheerleaders together with songs that everyone knows. However, even though this form of “pure escapism” utilizes “cultural staples to grab a broad audience” it still tends to promote more songs that are listed in the top 40 in order to remain “the No. 1 show in the 18-49 demographic among women.” This tendency functions as more than just a trick that allows the show to stay relevant, but actively allows the audience to “feel like one of the cool kids when they can sing along to Bruno Mars' ‘Just the Way You Are.’” This tendency to play to women between the ages of 18-49 is in order to attract this particularly prized demographic, but also to market the show to entire families. This brings in a large number of viewers per episode, and has given Glee a reputation as a PG viewing experience, despite the fact that “it still has an edge.”
Glee charges "over $270,000 per 30 seconds in the fall and $370,000 in the spring,” which is the 3rd highest price for advertising on television. This is peculiar because they are ranked 33rd in total viewers. However, one should not be too surprised since they are able to draw in one of the most high-quality audiences that a show can have. However, in spite of this gigantic revenue base, the producers are still looking for alternate streams of income. Glee, which has a “cost [of] more than $3 million” per episode, has made up these costs by aggressively selling merchandise. The success of their first season’s advertising campaign to drive viewers to iTunes in order to buy singles, albums, and shows, culminated in “4.2 million downloads of songs featured in its episodes” and “as of December, ‘Glee’ now has 102 songs” that have made it to the Billboard top 100. Additionally, product placement has been huge. An entire episode was devoted to a bright yellow, convertible Corvette which allowed one of the teachers to “break out of his doldrums and try to win back his girlfriend.” The “Cameron and the Cruse” have also made appearances on the show, which is part of a strategy to target the heavy female audience. This use of product placement is only the beginning as producers and executives look for ways to make Glee as profitable as other primetime dramas that often cost up to 50% less. However, with a karaoke machine, a Wiki game, multiple board games, trivia games, and books, Glee is becoming profitable, which is unusual in the early life of a television series, and is becoming “not unlike the kind of revenue juggernaut [that] ‘American Idol’” turned out to be.
This hour long, post modern musical, which has been dubbed a “musical dramedy,” was inspired by what “made ‘Chicago’ such a successful film” and continues to market itself as a genre defying experience that is different from everything “at the networks and cable.” This concept, which had originated as a movie, was picked up by Fox within 15 hours of receiving the script and Glee is now aired by 20th Television and produced by 20th Century Fox Television, but shares the rights with Brad Nalchik Tetley-Vision, and Ryan Murphy Television. Fox originally aired Glee right after American Idol in order to gather a strong lead in with an audience that would be predisposed to musical entertainment. However, since the massive success of Glee, Fox has used it to anchor their “comedy block on Tuesdays” and to prop up new shows like ‘Raising Hope.’ This strategy has paid off immensely, especially because it has allowed them to strengthen weaker slots with American Idol. This has allowed Fox to spread its largest revenue contributors across the week. Glee’s success, many say, is due to the creators, and executive producers of Glee, “Ryan Murphy, Brad Nalchik, and Ian Brennan,” who wanted to build this innovative show from the ground up and started by recruiting actors from Broadway. Matthew Morrison, for example, had already played a role in "Hairspray" and "The Light in the Piazza," while Lea Michele starred in the rock musical "Spring Awakening" and Jenna Ushkowitz had acted in the Broadway revival of "The King and I."
However, the innovative feeling of Glee has not only been helped by its actors, but is also set apart by the marketing strategy that Fox used. In order to get people excited, and to drum up audiences, Fox was “carpet bombing its airwaves with Glee promos” before they started off the first season of Glee. However, even before this television campaign, Fox was working overtime to grab attention for Glee. In order to arouse interest they showed the pilot of Glee on May 19, 2009, months before the first episode would appear. Additionally, cast members showed up at Hot Topic clothing stores to get people excited about the show. Fox also gave out free copies of the show on DVD, and left it online at Hula in order to garner more attention. All of this was combined with an aggressive social media campaign on YouTube, Face book, and twitter. This aggressive marketing strategy worked, bringing in 9,619 million viewers to the first episode. Since then, Glee has been performing well; peaking at over 26 million viewers after the Super bowl and continuing to bring in at least 10 million viewers an episode in the second season.
Glee draws people in by creating stereotypical situations and characters, each with their own flaws that the audience can easily identify with. This identification process allows viewers to become more intimate with the show, especially when the actors begin to sing songs that modern viewers already know and love. Fox originally took a chance on the new musical project, but hedged their bets with innovative marketing strategies and with a huge lead in audience from American Idol. The use of cultural classics and songs that recently premiered on the top 40, drew in the American Idol audience members specifically, and music lovers generally. This target audience was strong in the 18-49 demographic, and particularly strong with women. The strength in these demographics enabled Glee to become the 3rd most expensive show to buy advertisements on. This advertising revenue is supplemented with a steady stream of money made from selling singles on ITunes. This model has been so successful that Glee has now become a tent-pole of its own and anchors the entire comedy lineup on Tuesdays.
Glee has managed to secure a pretty large target audience, with strong numbers in the 18-49 demographic. This is due to the underdog portrayal of the high school actors. While this format appeals to tweens and teens by giving them situations and characters that they can identify with, it is also able to draw in older viewers by giving them a product that they often feel nostalgic about. Playing on stereotypes instantly draws viewers in by getting them to identify with one of the many main characters. Glee manages to then play up the forces and pressures that make each member, even the star football quarterback, an underdog. This allows Glee to capitalize on the idea that “Every teenager… goes through a time when they are not sure where or if they belong” and extend it to “all ages, because that feeling never really goes away.” However, the show does not stop at creating characters that most people can identify with, but goes further to tap into the same cultural phenomenon that was part of American Idol’s success, “the idea that anyone can be a star, even underdogs.” the show is able to accomplish this by tying misfits, jocks, nerds, and cheerleaders together with songs that everyone knows. However, even though this form of “pure escapism” utilizes “cultural staples to grab a broad audience” it still tends to promote more songs that are listed in the top 40 in order to remain “the No. 1 show in the 18-49 demographic among women.” This tendency functions as more than just a trick that allows the show to stay relevant, but actively allows the audience to “feel like one of the cool kids when they can sing along to Bruno Mars' ‘Just the Way You Are.’” This tendency to play to women between the ages of 18-49 is in order to attract this particularly prized demographic, but also to market the show to entire families. This brings in a large number of viewers per episode, and has given Glee a reputation as a PG viewing experience, despite the fact that “it still has an edge.”
Glee charges "over $270,000 per 30 seconds in the fall and $370,000 in the spring,” which is the 3rd highest price for advertising on television. This is peculiar because they are ranked 33rd in total viewers. However, one should not be too surprised since they are able to draw in one of the most high-quality audiences that a show can have. However, in spite of this gigantic revenue base, the producers are still looking for alternate streams of income. Glee, which has a “cost [of] more than $3 million” per episode, has made up these costs by aggressively selling merchandise. The success of their first season’s advertising campaign to drive viewers to iTunes in order to buy singles, albums, and shows, culminated in “4.2 million downloads of songs featured in its episodes” and “as of December, ‘Glee’ now has 102 songs” that have made it to the Billboard top 100. Additionally, product placement has been huge. An entire episode was devoted to a bright yellow, convertible Corvette which allowed one of the teachers to “break out of his doldrums and try to win back his girlfriend.” The “Cameron and the Cruse” have also made appearances on the show, which is part of a strategy to target the heavy female audience. This use of product placement is only the beginning as producers and executives look for ways to make Glee as profitable as other primetime dramas that often cost up to 50% less. However, with a karaoke machine, a Wiki game, multiple board games, trivia games, and books, Glee is becoming profitable, which is unusual in the early life of a television series, and is becoming “not unlike the kind of revenue juggernaut [that] ‘American Idol’” turned out to be.
This hour long, post modern musical, which has been dubbed a “musical dramedy,” was inspired by what “made ‘Chicago’ such a successful film” and continues to market itself as a genre defying experience that is different from everything “at the networks and cable.” This concept, which had originated as a movie, was picked up by Fox within 15 hours of receiving the script and Glee is now aired by 20th Television and produced by 20th Century Fox Television, but shares the rights with Brad Nalchik Tetley-Vision, and Ryan Murphy Television. Fox originally aired Glee right after American Idol in order to gather a strong lead in with an audience that would be predisposed to musical entertainment. However, since the massive success of Glee, Fox has used it to anchor their “comedy block on Tuesdays” and to prop up new shows like ‘Raising Hope.’ This strategy has paid off immensely, especially because it has allowed them to strengthen weaker slots with American Idol. This has allowed Fox to spread its largest revenue contributors across the week. Glee’s success, many say, is due to the creators, and executive producers of Glee, “Ryan Murphy, Brad Nalchik, and Ian Brennan,” who wanted to build this innovative show from the ground up and started by recruiting actors from Broadway. Matthew Morrison, for example, had already played a role in "Hairspray" and "The Light in the Piazza," while Lea Michele starred in the rock musical "Spring Awakening" and Jenna Ushkowitz had acted in the Broadway revival of "The King and I."
However, the innovative feeling of Glee has not only been helped by its actors, but is also set apart by the marketing strategy that Fox used. In order to get people excited, and to drum up audiences, Fox was “carpet bombing its airwaves with Glee promos” before they started off the first season of Glee. However, even before this television campaign, Fox was working overtime to grab attention for Glee. In order to arouse interest they showed the pilot of Glee on May 19, 2009, months before the first episode would appear. Additionally, cast members showed up at Hot Topic clothing stores to get people excited about the show. Fox also gave out free copies of the show on DVD, and left it online at Hula in order to garner more attention. All of this was combined with an aggressive social media campaign on YouTube, Face book, and twitter. This aggressive marketing strategy worked, bringing in 9,619 million viewers to the first episode. Since then, Glee has been performing well; peaking at over 26 million viewers after the Super bowl and continuing to bring in at least 10 million viewers an episode in the second season.
Glee draws people in by creating stereotypical situations and characters, each with their own flaws that the audience can easily identify with. This identification process allows viewers to become more intimate with the show, especially when the actors begin to sing songs that modern viewers already know and love. Fox originally took a chance on the new musical project, but hedged their bets with innovative marketing strategies and with a huge lead in audience from American Idol. The use of cultural classics and songs that recently premiered on the top 40, drew in the American Idol audience members specifically, and music lovers generally. This target audience was strong in the 18-49 demographic, and particularly strong with women. The strength in these demographics enabled Glee to become the 3rd most expensive show to buy advertisements on. This advertising revenue is supplemented with a steady stream of money made from selling singles on ITunes. This model has been so successful that Glee has now become a tent-pole of its own and anchors the entire comedy lineup on Tuesdays.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Why I will not vote in 2012
As the election creeps closer and Republicans start gearing up for a battle, I find myself more determined than ever to sit this next one out. Obama has proved to be more conservative than Bush, and I will not give him legitimacy by allowing him to count me as a constituent.
Tax Cuts- are the perfect example. Every DEM filibustered them under Bush, but Obama fought for them. This makes Obama not only more conservative than every Senate DEM, but also more conservative than Bush because he made the tax cuts DEEPER. The saddest part is that Obama didn’t even try. He had more than 80% of the people against the cuts, and could have flipped both Scott brown AND Olympia Snow, but he didn’t even TRY! In this democracy, an 80% supermajority against tax cuts for the rich isn’t enough to get a progressive president.
The Public Option- was killed by Obama. He could have passed it since he only needed 51 votes due to the reconciliation rule that he used anyway, but he didn’t. This reveals his conservative nature because the public option was the centrist compromise, with 72% of America in favor, between “no option” and “single payer Canadian style” health care. Obviously 72% of America is not enough for Obama to act like a progressive.
Financial Reform- was a joke. The incentive structure has not changed, and derivatives were not stopped. The same business practices continue. The progressive move would have been to break up the banks. This is entirely logical because the banks would have been destroyed in the free market. The tax payers saved them and should have broken them up so they would not be “too big to fail” the next time around. Obama ran from the progressive stance, showing his conservative nature.
DOMA- is being parroted as a progressive move for Obama. However, I refuse to give him credit. Prop 22 from California is headed strait to the Supreme Court, which is expected to overturn it. This would have happened no matter who was president. Also, Obama is still against gay marriage and in favor of civil unions, the EXACT SAME position as McCain. Obama has failed to fight for gay rights or progressive change.
The Military- Obama has increased the powers in the patriot act, kept the same timeline in Iraq, escalated in Pakistan and Afghanistan, is now keeping political prisoners, did NOT help Middle Eastern democracy, and is taking the conservative position on military tribunals. This is Obama retaining and intensifying the policies that Bush enacted, making him as, if not more, conservative than Bush.
This all stems from corporate influence. Obama chooses the corporate option against overwhelming support for the progressive one every time.
The worst part is still to come. Not only has Obama refused to defend workers rights in Wisconsin, but the House has also decided to defund Planned Parenthood, NPR, and PBS. In the face of this conservative crusade, Obama has been silent. These are basic institutions that provide untold benefits for America, but our “progressive” president is not willing to lift a finger to protect them. Defunding these programs is something that not even Bush was able to do.
The saddest part is that Fox has picked up on this and decided to rub it in our faces.
This brings me to the issue of voting. This political system has proven to be deeply corrupt, where even 80% do not have as much influence as the corporations. I will not give this system legitimacy by voting and allowing them to pretend that I have a say in what happens. The more people who stop pretending that this system is democratic, the less legitimacy it has. I invite everyone to join me in abstaining from this next vote.
P.S. Obama will now go after Social Security too :(
Tax Cuts- are the perfect example. Every DEM filibustered them under Bush, but Obama fought for them. This makes Obama not only more conservative than every Senate DEM, but also more conservative than Bush because he made the tax cuts DEEPER. The saddest part is that Obama didn’t even try. He had more than 80% of the people against the cuts, and could have flipped both Scott brown AND Olympia Snow, but he didn’t even TRY! In this democracy, an 80% supermajority against tax cuts for the rich isn’t enough to get a progressive president.
The Public Option- was killed by Obama. He could have passed it since he only needed 51 votes due to the reconciliation rule that he used anyway, but he didn’t. This reveals his conservative nature because the public option was the centrist compromise, with 72% of America in favor, between “no option” and “single payer Canadian style” health care. Obviously 72% of America is not enough for Obama to act like a progressive.
Financial Reform- was a joke. The incentive structure has not changed, and derivatives were not stopped. The same business practices continue. The progressive move would have been to break up the banks. This is entirely logical because the banks would have been destroyed in the free market. The tax payers saved them and should have broken them up so they would not be “too big to fail” the next time around. Obama ran from the progressive stance, showing his conservative nature.
DOMA- is being parroted as a progressive move for Obama. However, I refuse to give him credit. Prop 22 from California is headed strait to the Supreme Court, which is expected to overturn it. This would have happened no matter who was president. Also, Obama is still against gay marriage and in favor of civil unions, the EXACT SAME position as McCain. Obama has failed to fight for gay rights or progressive change.
The Military- Obama has increased the powers in the patriot act, kept the same timeline in Iraq, escalated in Pakistan and Afghanistan, is now keeping political prisoners, did NOT help Middle Eastern democracy, and is taking the conservative position on military tribunals. This is Obama retaining and intensifying the policies that Bush enacted, making him as, if not more, conservative than Bush.
This all stems from corporate influence. Obama chooses the corporate option against overwhelming support for the progressive one every time.
The worst part is still to come. Not only has Obama refused to defend workers rights in Wisconsin, but the House has also decided to defund Planned Parenthood, NPR, and PBS. In the face of this conservative crusade, Obama has been silent. These are basic institutions that provide untold benefits for America, but our “progressive” president is not willing to lift a finger to protect them. Defunding these programs is something that not even Bush was able to do.
The saddest part is that Fox has picked up on this and decided to rub it in our faces.
This brings me to the issue of voting. This political system has proven to be deeply corrupt, where even 80% do not have as much influence as the corporations. I will not give this system legitimacy by voting and allowing them to pretend that I have a say in what happens. The more people who stop pretending that this system is democratic, the less legitimacy it has. I invite everyone to join me in abstaining from this next vote.
P.S. Obama will now go after Social Security too :(
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Helvetica
Since high school I have encountered people who don’t see the value of English class or people who consider English a useless degree. However, I recently saw Helvetica which did a great job of illustrating the power of different texts.
The movie documents the rise of the font that was named “Helvetica.” It starts with advertising in the 50s and how exclamation marks and fake pictures were used to enhance communication. However, Helvetica, which was created to be sleek and modern, was able to stay out of the way of the viewer and the message. These characteristics have lead to a stratospheric rise in the use of the font. It is now used everywhere, from tax letters to BMWs, in order to communicate safety and acceptance.
This brings me to the original point about English. The power of English, and an English major, is in its ability to dissect and shape cultural. Being able to look at the form of a text and how it influences society on an individual level, enables a person to have an invaluable understanding of social forces.
So, I’ll end this first blog with a super-cool video about how influential everyday texts can be.
The movie documents the rise of the font that was named “Helvetica.” It starts with advertising in the 50s and how exclamation marks and fake pictures were used to enhance communication. However, Helvetica, which was created to be sleek and modern, was able to stay out of the way of the viewer and the message. These characteristics have lead to a stratospheric rise in the use of the font. It is now used everywhere, from tax letters to BMWs, in order to communicate safety and acceptance.
This brings me to the original point about English. The power of English, and an English major, is in its ability to dissect and shape cultural. Being able to look at the form of a text and how it influences society on an individual level, enables a person to have an invaluable understanding of social forces.
So, I’ll end this first blog with a super-cool video about how influential everyday texts can be.